


Warm Me like Coffee

by MsWriterPerson



Series: Warm Me Like Coffee [1]
Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Writers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-02-07 09:49:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21456064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsWriterPerson/pseuds/MsWriterPerson
Summary: Galo is a barista making his living working in a locally owned cafe, hoping one day to open a cafe of his own. Even if a certain customer always complains.Lio is a struggling writer spending his days in the cafe trying to find inspiration. Even if a certain barista can never spell his name right.Is there anything that can bring these two bickering souls together? Only time will tell...
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Series: Warm Me Like Coffee [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1746136
Comments: 24
Kudos: 181





	1. Black Coffee

Galo took in a deep breath of the hazelnut-scented air. Fall was the best time of the year to be working in a cafe. Everything warmed you up down to your toes, and it all smelled so _good_. Even in a tucked-away, hole in the wall cafe like this, the smiles and relaxed sighs from the regular customers as they drank the coffee he prepared just for them warmed Galo more than any cup of coffee would. Admiring the aftereffects of his handy-work, Galo wondered if there was anything more perfect than this. 

As if on cue, the doorbell jingled as another customer walked in. Reflexively, Galo perked up with his brightest smile. "Hi! Welcome to the Promare Cafe, how can I- Oh." He felt his stomach drop as he saw the familiar face of his least favorite customer. A short, blonde, thin man with a permanent frown on his face. He came in at least every other day. Always ordered a black coffee and a ham and cheese panini, sat at the same table with his laptop, and glare at it for two hours before going home. Normally Galo wouldn't pay him any mind, but this customer always had a way of getting under his skin. "The usual, I'm guessing?" Galo asked, fighting to be polite.

"Yes, please." The man answered. "And again, it's _Lio_. With an _I_." There it was. Already, the one quirk that drove Galo absolutely crazy. He had misspelled names before, and most people didn't mind, a few even thought it was funny. But Lio? He'd scrunch up his face every single time Galo spelled his name wrong like it was a personal insult, and he'd always make snide comments about it. At this point, Galo was just misspelling his name out of sheer spite now. Galo ran the coffee machine as he prepped the panini press, as Lio set his bag down at his usual spot, pulling out his laptop and setting up his normal stare-down. Galo set the finished panini plate on the counter, smirking to himself as he wrote Lio's name on the cup. 

"Order for Lio." Galo called, trying to act normal. Lio picked up his drink and food, immediately checking his name. _Lieo_. His face scrunched up even more so than usual as he could see Galo absolutely beaming at him. "You said it's with an I, right?" Galo offered cheerfully. Lio glared at him, marching back to his table without a word. Another win in the books for Galo. Lio took a sip, wondering how someone who could never spell his name correctly could make such wonderful coffee. He tried not to think about it, focusing in on the blank word document in front of him. This was a far more intimidating foe. The daunting white page glared back at him, mocking his lack of progress. Lio tested several starter sentences, but nothing seemed good enough to stick. He sighed, leaning back in his chair, glancing around to give his eyes a breaking from the screen. His gaze settled on Galo, energetically talking with a customer, his expression bright and cheery. He never looked at Lio like that, even his customer-service smile seemed forced when he was taking Lio's order. Lio felt something in his chest throb, and his hands drifted to the keyboard. He kept glancing up at Galo, his fingers typing away almost entirely on their own. The spark of inspiration had finally struck and Lio was memorized by Galo, letting the words flow endlessly as he watched Galo work, with a smile across his face. The rest of the world had drained away, leaving just Lio and Galo in this space. 

Galo noticed Lio's frequent glances, and that Lio was actually typing this time around, his face more frantic as his eyes darted around the screen. Galo wondered if he went too far with the name today as Aina tapped him on the shoulder, startling him. "Break time, Galo." She chimed in, noticing Galo's eyes were on Lio. "Hey, you should bring him another coffee. I think his has gone cold." She offered.

"What? Why me? Can't you do it?" Galo argued, keeping his voice down to a whisper. 

"Because he's one of our best customers and you need to get along with him." Aina countered. 

"But I don't want to." Galo whined. "Plus for all we know he could just be blogging about how much he hates me." He gestured to Lio, still furiously typing while stealing glances at him.

"All the more reason to get on his good side." Aina explained. "Now be nice and bring him some more coffee before I make you sort the storage room."

"Yes ma'am." Galo groaned, heading towards the coffee machine.

Lio's hands slowed to a stop, wondering what they were talking about. He glanced over the two pages he had managed to write, wondering just how he had been able to accomplish so much after such a long dry period. He began to read his work, a love story set in a cafe, the two leads instantly attracted to each other, but unable to say it. One of them, the barista, brings over a second coffee to bridge the divide...

"Here, another coffee on the house." Galo quickly set the cup on the table, shocking Lio as he couldn't tell if the moment was real or fictional. Again, Galo had his forced customer-service smile, and Lio felt his chest grow heavy. 

"T-thanks." Lio stammered, trying to bring himself back to the moment. 

Galo's face softened at the unexpectedly polite response. Their eyes locked, and Lio felt his throat grow tight. Had Galo's eyes always been such a pretty shade of blue? 

"Galo, when are you going to come by the pizzeria again? We haven't seen you for a week!" Another customer called out, Galo's eyes shifted away from Lio.

"I've been busy, Pops!" Galo answered cheerfully, his real smile coming out. "Plus pizza gets expensive after a while."

"Come by tonight after your shift, I'll give you a freebie!" The man offered loudly, as Galo's face lit up.

"Really! Thanks! I'll swing by as soon as I'm done!" Galo confirmed, his face looking like it would explode into smiles. Lio was completely enthralled by this new expression. His mind was clearing out all cohesive thought while filling with ideas.

"Everyone will be glad to see you, we were worried you forgot about us!" The man roared merrily, Galo taking a step in his direction.

"You know I'd never forget-" Galo felt something grab him, looking down to see Lio's hand wrapped around his wrist, Lio's eyes pleading at him. Galo felt his heart skip a beat, all his thoughts rushing out the window. "I-is everything okay?" He stammered.

Lio paused for a moment before realizing what he had done, quickly letting go and shutting his laptop. "Um-, I-, sorry." He stuttered, gathering his things as fast as he could before rushing out the door, wondering how his heartbeat could be so loud. 

Aina rushed over to Galo, the coffee she had suggested sitting untouched on the table. "Galo! I told you to be nice! What did you do!?" She scolded, Galo's gaze fixed on the door that Lio had just left from. He had never seen Lio look so desperate, like he was begging Galo not to leave him. He had also never noticed that Lio's eyes were such a light shade of brown that they looked purple in the light. He saw him so often, and never knew. So many questions rushed into his head. What was he working on? Why did Lio look at him like that? Was he upset? Will he be coming back? He felt his chest get tight as his realized just how little he knew about him. "Galo!" Aina called, shocking him back to reality. "What happened?"

"I.... I don't know." Galo answered quietly. And despite all the bickering, the petty feuds, and annoyances Lio brought with him, Galo felt a deep seated fear that he may never see him again. 


	2. Espresso

The rain beat steadily against the window as Lio stared at the ceiling of his apartment, trying to process his thoughts, the scene from the cafe two weeks ago playing out in his head on repeat. Galo's beautiful blue eyes looking at him with sincere concern, the rushing sensation of heat that ran through his chest as he reached out to him. And of course, the whiplash of embarrassment that sent him running out the door without so much as a goodbye. Lio had avoided the cafe ever since, unsure of what to make of the situation. There were too many new emotions Lio had to sort through before he knew how to deal with it all.

But Lio found himself longing for the taste of Galo's black coffee, the warm sensation of the sun shining on his table and the scent of hazelnut and cinnamon wafting through the air. Lio's eyes shifted to his laptop. He had managed to turn his drabble from before into a full-fledged short story, just enough to keep his editor at bay for a little while longer. He hadn't been able to write so fluidly in over a year, and something inside told him that his inspiration could only be found in that little cafe. He couldn't avoid it forever. And sitting in his apartment mulling everything over didn't seem to be helping.

Lio checked the clock, seeing he still had about two hours before the cafe closed for the day. Maybe he would find an answer after stopping by for a little while, just to see what would happen. Lio grabbed his coat, eager to make the leap before he had time to doubt his resolve. Taking one last deep breath, Lio grabbed his umbrella and headed out the door.

The five block walk to the cafe had never felt so long, as Lio clung tightly to the umbrella, determined to make the trip, even as doubts started to pile on his chest. What if Galo thought he was crazy? What if he was offended? Was Lio even still welcome back there? A dozen questions and excuses begged Lio to turn around, but Lio pressed onward, refusing to relent. He had to do this. Lio squeezed the umbrella handle. There was no turning back.

He finally reached the cafe, the sign glowing warmly in the light of the sunset, inviting him in. A small wave of relief washed over Lio. He had made it this far, only a little more to go. He closed the umbrella, entering the cafe. The comforting warmth and familiar smells greeted Lio with a bright friendliness, wiping away his doubts. He breathed it in deeply, letting it all sink in. He hadn't realized how much he had missed it, and coming back felt like coming home. Sighing contently, Lio's eyes focused on the counter. Aina was busy cleaning the countertops, too focus to notice Lio. Lio glanced further in the back, wondering if Galo was on break. Aina turned back to the register, spotting Lio lingering in the entryway.

"Oh! Welcome back!" She greeted cheerfully, rushing over to Lio. "I was so worried that you wouldn't be back. I wanted to apologize for Galo..." She offered, as Lio approached the counter.

"It's fine, I was just in a rush that day. I didn't mean to cause any problems." Lio explained, still scanning around for Galo. "Is... Is Galo on break right now?"

"Oh," Aina paused for a moment. "Galo left early today, he said something came up and he needed to take care of it right away." Lio felt his heart drop a little. He hadn't even considered Galo wouldn't be here when he arrived. He was always here when Lio visited, it was hard to imagine him anywhere else. "Did you want to talk to him?" Aina asked, noticing the change.

"Oh, uh, no thank you, I was just curious." Lio stammered, forcing a smile. "I wanted to apologize for rushing out like that. I didn't want him to worry."

"I'll let him know you stop by when I see him." Aina offered brightly. "And I do hope you'll come back. You're one of our best customers."

Lio sighed, a small weight lifted from him. "I will, don't worry."

"And you rushed out so quickly last time, you weren't able to drink your coffee." Aina realized. "Let me make you one on the house, just for today."

"Thanks." Lio replied, moving over to his regular spot. He had never been here so late in the day, as the cafe was lit gently with the late afternoon light. He felt the wheels in his head start to turn again with new ideas as he gazed across the familiar room. He heard the ding of the coffee machine behind him, and the subsequent pouring and aroma of freshly-made coffee.

"Here you are!" Aina delivered the cup to his table, as Lio saw she had spelt his name correctly on the cup, adding a little heart after the O. Lio took a sip, letting the warmth fill his body up from the core. It was weaker than usual, and a little sweeter. His ideas slowed to a halt. Everything was good, but something was missing. Lio glanced out the window. The rain had picked up from a small shower to a heavy downpour. Lio reached into his wallet, pulling out a few dollars and placing them in the tip jar. "Are you not going to stay?" Aina asked, concerned.

"No, I just wanted to come in for a quick coffee to go and to apologize for my behavior the other day. Thank you for the coffee, it's delicious." Lio forced another smile, stepping out with his umbrella. He quickly turned to make his way back, feeling lighter but aimless. Lio felt stupid for thinking everything could be solved so easily. He walked faster, the rain starting to fall harder, the wind picking up, pulling against his umbrella.

Lio struggled to keep it in his grasp, the gusts easily overpowering him, half-ripping the umbrella from his hands. Realizing he'd be blown away at this rate, Lio dived into a nearby breezeway, watching the other pedestrians dash through the rain. Lio closed his umbrella, wondering how long he'd half to wait until the rain stopped, as someone else darted in the alley, their head ducked down and covered by their hoodie, clutching their chest. Lio reflexively stepped aside to make room as they collected themselves, pulling off their hood.

"Woo, I was not expecting that." They chimed loudly, Lio freezing, immediately recognizing that crazy blue hair. Galo turned, finally turning to Lio, jolting back as he recognized him. "YOU! What are you doing here!?"

"Same as you, waiting out the rain." Lio answered, wondering if his heart was still racing from the run to shelter.

"Aw, today sucks." Galo whined, staring down at his chest.

"Well if you don't like it so much you can just go find another spot out of the rain. I was here first." Lio spat back, feeling irritated. Why was he ever concerned about this jerk?

Galo's arms wrapped tighter around his chest. "I would if I could..."

Lio glanced over at why Galo's arms were unnaturally glued to his chest, noticing his upper body had a large bulge under his hoodie. "What's that?" Lio asked directly, pointing at Galo's bump.

Galo panicked, quickly turning away from Lio. "Oh, uh... I've just been... working out a lot?"

Lio sighed. "What do you have?"

"Have? I don't have anything." Galo stepped back, turning and placing his back against the wall. "I just, uh, have really awesome boobs." The bulge in his shirt started to move.

Lio took a few steps over to him, reaching for his hoodie zipper. "Let's see them then." He stated bluntly, as Galo pushed back against the wall.

"No, don't!" Galo cried as Lio unzipped his hoodie slightly, a small gray cat head poking out from the open hole.

"Your awesome boobs look like a kitten to me." Lio declared sarcastically.

"Fine! You caught me!" Galo confessed, still holding the kitten tightly to him. "I found him when I was on break, and I couldn't find his mom and I knew it was going to rain so I've been trying to find him a home. Happy now?"

"Why not just keep him at your place?" Lio asked.

"My place doesn't allow pets. And I've asked everyone I can think of, but no one is able to keep him." Galo admitted sadly. The cat meowed softly, noticing Galo's mood dropping. Between Galo's wet-puppy expression and the kitten's innocent stare, Lio's instincts kicked in.

"I could keep him, for a while at least." Lio offered, Galo perking up instantaneously.

"Really? You'll keep him?" Galo asked, his eyes shining with hope as he stared directly at Lio.

Lio felt the blood rush to his face. "I mean, I can at least keep him for a while. Until we find him a permanent home."

Galo rubbed his face against the kitten. "Did you hear that, Galo Junior? We found you a home!"

"You named the kitten after yourself?" Lio chuckled.

"Hey, it's a good name." Galo defended, zipping the kitten back up in his hoodie.

Lio glanced out, the wind and rain slowing down. "C'mon, my apartment isn't too far from here. You can drop off the kitten and dry off." Lio explained, opening his umbrella. Galo darted next to him, rubbing up against Lio's arm.

"Thanks!" Galo's smile beamed down at him, and Lio felt his heart race again.

"Well, let's hurry, before the rain gets bad again." Lio rushed out of the breezeway, Galo quickly running past him.

"Race you there!" Galo cheered, running down the street.

"Wait, you don't know where I live!" Lio called out, running to catch up, laughing as he went.

Galo and Lio laughed as they entered Lio's apartment. "Just admit I beat you." Galo bragged, taking off his shoes.

"I don't know how you could beat me if I had to catch you and tell you where I lived first." Lio countered, turning on the lights.

"Well I would've won if I had known." Galo argued, opening his hoodie and setting the kitten on the floor. He glanced around the vast apartment. "Wow, pretty big place you've got here. Do you live by yourself?"

"Yeah, I like having a lot of room to move around in." Lio explained, opening a tuna can and setting it in the corner as the kitten sniffed it out, happily chowing down.

"And you're sure your landlord is okay with you having pets?" Galo inquired, snooping around the living room.

"Well considering I'm the one who owns the apartment, I'm going to say yes." Lio joked, sitting on the sofa.

Galo's jaw dropped in amazement. "You _own_ this place? What do you do?"

"I'm a writer." Lio explained, pointing to the nearby bookshelf. "I've written a few novels, and they've done pretty well."

Galo pulled one of the novels off the shelf._ 'From the Fire, by Lio Fotia_'. "Wow, this is so cool!" He exclaimed. "So you come to the cafe to write?"

"Usually, yes." Lio enjoyed Galo's sudden interest in his work. "Though I don't have anything in particular I'm working on right now."

"Wow, a writer." Galo mumbled. "You know, I never really tried to get to know you, I always thought you were just a rude customer."

"You know there's a limit to the things you should say to people's faces, right?" Lio sighed.

"But I should have tried to learn instead of picking fights all the time." Galo continued, turning back to Lio. "I'm sorry. You're actually a really cool and nice guy, and I'm sorry I've been so rude to you."

Lio froze, Galo's sincere and steady gaze reaching him deep down. "A-apology accepted. I should have been more understanding too." Lio replied. The kitten, finished with his meal, joined them in the living room, leaping beside Lio before settling on his lap.

"Well Galo Jr., looks like you've scored yourself a pretty nice owner. Lucky guy." Galo joked. "I am going to miss him though."

"You could always come visit him." Lio offered. "Just make sure you call first."

"Are you sure? Thanks!" Galo cheered, sitting next to him on the sofa. "I always wanted to keep a cat, but my landlord always said no."

"Well you can visit as much as you like, just so long as you spell my name right from now on." Lio laughed.

"I don't know man, that's a pretty tall order." Galo teased.

"I'm sure if you try really, really hard, you'll figure it out." Lio joked back. They laughed, the kitten glancing around at the commotion, and Lio wondered if the apartment had always been this bright, or if he had always felt this satisfied.


	3. Cappuccino

Lio tapped the cafe table with nervous intensity. Part of him knew that publishing that short story would undoubtedly lead to a meeting with his agent, but that didn't make the growing dread of it subside. His mind darted over the countless ways his agent, Meis, would try and talk him into permanently come out of hiatus, despite Lio already making it perfectly clear he just couldn't do it anymore. Even his plan for a full-on retirement got shifted to an indefinite hiatus thanks to Meis' relentlessness. And with that short story, Lio had killed any hope of convincing Meis that he couldn't write anymore. Lio's tapping slowly became more aggressive, his thought beginning to warp out of control, closing his eyes to try and block out the wave of anxiety that was eating away at him. He wanted to run, but he knew that the only way to deal with this was to face it head on. Lio began to wish Meis would hurry up and arrive, just to end this tormenting thought cycle, as he heard a familiar clink and smelled the scent of fresh coffee. Lio opened his eyes to see Galo staring down at him, having set down a new cup of his usual and watching him with a confused, concerned expression.

"Everything okay?" He asked.

"Yeah," Lio sighed, "I've just got a lot on my mind right now."

"Oh, I see..." Galo mumbled, glancing across Lio's table. "Not writing today?" 

"No, I've got a meeting with my agent, he should be here shortly." Lio explained, leaning back in his chair.

"You've got an _agent?_" Galo exclaimed, leaning in closer, eyes wide. "Are you like a celebrity author or something?"

Lio chuckled at the sudden burst of innocent surprise. "No, a lot of writers have them. They help us set up book deals, events, things like that." 

Galo stood back up, eyes still glittering in awe. "Wow, that's so cool..."

Lio smirked. "You didn't think being a novelist just meant sitting in cafes and typing on a laptop, did you?" He teased.

"No." Galo pouted. "....Well maybe a little. But that's all I see you do." 

Lio laughed, feeling the weight from earlier growing lighter. He sighed in quiet relief, taking a sip of the coffee Galo had brought him.

"So are you going to talk to him about your new book?" 

Lio choked mid-drink, his predicament once again slapped in front of him. Coughing loudly as he cleared his throat, Galo gave him a few pats on the back to help him regain composure.

"Um, well..." Lio stammered between coughs. He struggled to find a way to describe it, as the familiar sound of the door bell rang through the cafe.

"Welcome!" Galo chimed immediately, drawing the patron's attention over to them. Lio froze up, recognizing Meis instantly, instinctively trying to sink in his chair. Galo made his way back to the counter and smiled brightly at Meis. "How can I help you today?"

"One white coffee please, and a croissant." Meis ordered, pulling out his wallet. Lio hid his face with his hand, wishing he had made an escape earlier while he still had the chance. He heard the register ding and footsteps approaching him, glancing up to see Meis pulling out the chair across from him. Lio sighed, bracing himself, sitting back upright in his chair. 

"Hello, Meis." He said dryly.

"Hi Lio. It's been a while." Meis replied with his usual forced smile.

"We met not too long ago, if I remember correctly." Lio protested.

"Then you should have your memory checked, because six months would be considered long ago to some people." Meis countered. 

"And not long enough to others." Lio spat. "Now cut the crap, I know you didn't set up a meeting just for a game of catch-up." 

"You've still got the same firey temper as always." Meis sighed. "Well, you're right. And there's no sense beating around the bush, is there?"

"I already said no." Lio interjected. 

"You need to write a novel." Meis continued. 

"What part of 'no' did you not understand?" Lio chided. 

"The part where you're running out of time to make any kind of comeback at all." Meis argued. "Authors only stay relevant for a certain amount of time, and when you lose your chance you won't be able to get it back. I let you go on hiatus because-"

"You _let_ me go on hiatus? I told you I wanted to retire and_ you're_ the one who told me to just make it a hiatus." Lio interrupted. 

"Because you and I both know you can still write." Meis offered.

"I'm not sure I do know that, actually." Lio argued.

"Lio, be serious. You're only 27. You can't possibly be done already." Meis protested.

"I am being serious, Meis. I told you I was done. I can't write anymore." Lio persisted. 

"Then where did that short story come from? Did it fall from the sky with your name on it?" Meis snapped back. 

"That was a fluke. A one-time deal." Lio defended. "It doesn't mean I can crank out a whole novel whenever I want." 

Meis sighed. "Lio, you're better than this. What I saw in that short story is the same thing I saw in your novels. Passion, and more importantly, potential. You're not helping yourself by saying it was just a one-time thing." 

Lio felt his chest burn with rage. "What would you possibly know what could help me? All you do is push and nag me to write another novel like it's the easiest thing in the world."

"Lio, I know you," Meis pleaded. "You've still got more left to write, I know you can,"

"I TOLD YOU I CAN'T." Lio yelled, standing up from his seat. The cafe fell into a dead silence, all eyes on Lio. Lio could feel himself shaking in anger, slowly sitting back down. "I can't. I'm sorry Meis, but it's just not going to happen." 

Meis took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for pushing you all the time, but I still don't believe you don't have anything left to write." He stood up, getting ready to leave. "I'll tell the publishers to give you more time. But this will be it. They won't wait on you forever." He reached into his bag, pulling out a small collection of letters. "And take these. They're fan mail people sent in after your short story was published. Give them a read before you decide to quit for good." He set them on the table, heading out without another word. Lio stared at the letters, motionless, his anger gone and leaving him feeling empty and alone. The cafe returned to it's normal functions, the other patrons resuming their conversations, although Lio could feel their glances fall on him. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up and locked eyes with Galo.

"Are... you okay?" Galo asked timidly, voice heavy with worry.

"Yeah, sorry about the commotion." Lio answered wearily. 

"Hey Lio, can I come over to your place tonight? I'll bring pizza and beer." Galo offered. 

"I don't know, today's kind of..." 

"Please?" Galo whimpered, Lio pulled in by his sad-puppy expression. 

"I guess I can do tonight." Lio conceded, Galo giving him a small smile. 

"I'll text you when I get off work!" He chimed, heading back to man the counter. Lio sighed, grabbing his own bag and making his way to the door. He gave Galo a small wave as he reached the exit, Galo beaming back at him. "I'll see you tonight!" 

Lio laid across the sofa, Junior nuzzling his hands as he pawed at Lio's shirt. Lio glanced at the clock. Galo had texted him and would be arriving any minute now. Lio sighed. Yet another uncomfortable meeting about something he didn't want to talk about. He scratched Junior's neck, Junior purring in delight. There was just something about Galo he couldn't say no to. But at the same time, he felt safe with Galo. Even now, he didn't feel an ounce of the dread or anxiety that he did before meeting Meis. Maybe it was Galo's puppy dog face, or his bright blue innocent eyes, or that beaming smile that made him look like he couldn't hurt a fly.... Lio's mind began to drift, picturing Galo's various expressions, wondering what it was that made him so persuasive. But before he reached an answer, a knock echoed through the apartment. 

"Coming!" Lio shouted, setting Junior on the couch and making his way to the door. 

"Delivery!~" Galo sang from the other side, Lio laughing as he opened the door, Galo brandishing a six pack of beer and a pizza box. 

"So you're a barista by day and a pizza delivery guy by night." Lio teased. 

"Only pizza delivery for a very specific list of clients. I'm a hot commodity, after all." Galo joked. "Where can I set this?" 

"I cleared a space on the coffee table in the living room, just put it there. I'll get the plates." Lio instructed.

"Thanks!" Galo beamed, Junior coming in to meet the new guest. "Junior! You're getting so big! Don't worry, I brought you some tuna." Lio grabbed the plates, walking back to the living room to see Junior climbing half-way up Galo's pants leg as Galo struggled to balance the drinks and the food while trying the gently knock the kitten off. Lio snorted, pulling Junior off as he meowed in protest, Galo setting down the food and dropping to the couch with a tired sigh. "Why does he always do that when I come over?" 

"Because you always let him." Lio laughed, setting the plates down. "What kind of pizza did you get?" Lio asked, lifting open the lid of the box.

"Meat lovers." Galo answered, picking Junior up and holding him in his lap.

"Do you eat anything besides meat and bread?" Lio joked.

"Hey there's cheese on there too." Galo laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, my mistake." Lio chuckled, grabbing a slice for himself.

"Oh, I brought a new movie with me, you know, the one I mentioned last time. Wanna watch it while we eat?" Galo offered, pulling a DVD case from his jacket. 

"Sure, go ahead." Lio agreed, settling into his seat. Galo eagerly got up, setting up the DVD player and starting the movie. Lio relaxed, opening a beer for himself as the movie began. Galo sat back down beside him, the two of them joking and laughing as they ate and watched the film, as Lio felt himself completely at ease, the events of the day seemingly miles away from him now. The two continued long after the movie ended, and as they finished the last of the beer Lio glanced at the clock, noticing it was well after midnight. 

"Holy crap, when did it get so late?" Galo exclaimed. "I've got work tomorrow too..." 

"Just stay here tonight, you can throw your uniform in the laundry and wear it tomorrow." Lio offered, feeling bad he had unknowingly kept him out this late.

"Are you sure?" Galo asked.

"Sure, you can crash here on the couch. You can use the shower too." Lio insisted.

"You're a lifesaver." Galo grinned, getting up to head to the bathroom. 

Lio paused, feeling ready to clear the air. "Hey, before you go," Galo turned back to Lio. "Aren't you going to ask me about what happened in the cafe today?" 

Galo stopped to think for a moment. "Not really, if you wanted to talk about it you would have told me about it on your own. I don't think it's my place to pry." Lio stared at him. "Did you want to talk about it?"

"No, well, sort of. It's complicated." Lio began. "My agent wants to me write another novel, but I don't think I can." 

Galo sat back down beside Lio. "Do you want to write more?"

"I don't know. I don't remember what it's like to want to write. It's just one day I couldn't write anymore." Lio explained. "But now everyone expects me to keep writing, and I don't know if I can."

"I think it's more important to focus on what you want to do, than what other people want you to do." Galo offered. "If you really want to write, you'll get back to it when you're ready. If not, you'll move on to something you want to do." 

"I thought you said you thought me being a writer was cool though." Lio joked half-heartedly. 

"What I meant was I thought you were cool for going out and living the life you wanted to." Galo explained. "But if it's not what you want to do, I don't see a reason to do it." 

"That's some pretty straightforward logic you've got there." Lio smirked.

"It was something my Gramps always taught me. You'll always be better at the things you want to do than the things you don't." Galo leaned back into the couch. "That's why I became a barista. I want to run my own cafe one day. I like getting to know people over food and coffee, and I'm good at it. Even if people think I'm not cut out for it, or if there's something else I could do instead that would make me more successful, I'm proud of the path I took." 

"That actually makes a lot of sense." Lio conceded. 

"Hey, I'm smarter than I look." Galo beamed.

"Broken clocks are right twice a day you know." Lio joked. 

"What was that, Mr. Sourpuss?" Galo laughed, ruffling Lio's hair. 

"Thanks though. For the advice." Lio confessed. 

"Anytime." Galo smiled. "It's what friends are for." Galo stood up, making his way to the bathroom, as Junior jumped on to the couch with Lio. Lio ran a hand through his hair where Galo had touched it, his head still tingling from the sensation.

"Yeah," Lio whispered to himself. "Friends...." 


	4. Latte

Galo tousled his wet hair with the towel, letting out a satisfied sigh. Nothing better than a hot shower at the end of a long day. He peeked out from the bathroom, seeing Lio finish setting the couch up for him to spend the night. He hadn't expected Lio to open up to him like that, but there was something endearing about it. Galo continued to stare, not quite able to put his finger on exactly why that was. Lio glanced over, spotting Galo spying on him.

"Everything alright?" Lio asked, Galo springing back to reality.

"Y-yeah." Galo answered quickly, stepping out of the bathroom. "Thanks again for letting me stay over."

"No problem, I hope you're fine with sleeping on the sofa." Lio dropped the spare blanket on the seat beside him. "I think you should be all set for the night."

Galo's eyes drifted to the remaining beers on the coffee table. "Do you want to have one more drink before bed?"

"I could go for one more, but I thought you had work in the morning?" Lio asked, confused.

"It's not that late, I should be fine for one more drink."

"Alright." Lio shrugged. "You're the one that has to get up tomorrow morning."

Galo sat beside him, grabbing a bottle, Lio doing the same. Galo fidgeted, wondering what he should say. He asked for one more drink on impulse, but their conversation earlier had left a heavy feeling on the air. 

"Hey, Galo?" Lio asked quietly.

"Yes?" Galo replied hastily, shocked that Lio broke the silence.

"Do you like working in the coffee shop?" 

"Well... Yeah." Galo answered bluntly. "I like meeting all the different customers and talking to them, and making their day better with the food and coffee I make for them." 

"Do you think you'll always like it?" Lio inquired further. Galo paused for a moment.

"I think I will. When I was a kid I always got into trouble, getting into fights, skipping school. My parents weren't around a lot so I just did whatever I wanted. But then one day Ignis found me and I started working at Promare, and I finally felt like I belonged somewhere. That I was making people happy. So ever since it's been my dream to open a cafe of my own and make it a place where everyone feels like they belong." Galo paused, noticing Lio was staring intently at him, eyes wide. "Sorry, that probably sounds really lame."

"It sounds amazing." Lio's voice was filled with awe. "To know what you want to do, to have a dream you want to go after, it's really amazing." 

"I still have a long way to go." Galo sighed. "It's hard to save up for a down payment on a barista's paycheck." 

"You'll get there. No one's more stubborn than you." Lio chuckled. 

Junior crawled into Galo's lap, kneading at his thigh as Galo stroked his back. "And what about you? Don't you have something you want to do?"

Lio leaned back into the couch. "I don't know anymore. Before, all I wanted to do was write. I felt like I had so many stories to tell, that I'd never be able to write them all down. But once I finally started getting published, I felt empty. I wasn't excited about writing anymore. And then everything I wrote seemed bland and boring. So I just... stopped." Lio took a drink from his beer. "I guess I felt that I wasn't writing anything worth reading anymore." 

"Do you still want to write?" Galo asked gently.

"I'm not sure I even can write anymore, let alone want to." Lio sighed. 

"I think you do." Galo replied. Lio turned to face him. "I may not know anything about writing, but seeing your face when you're staring at your laptop in the cafe, I can tell how much you want to." Lio sat up, Galo still staring at Junior. "Maybe you just lost track of what inspired you to write in the first place. But I think you still want to write. Why else would you keep trying so hard?" 

The simplicity of the notion left Lio in wonder. He couldn't remember what it felt like to be able to write as much as he could before, but he could still feel that pit in his stomach that always hungered for more. It's what drove him to the countless hours of staring at the screen, the endless nights awake praying for a stroke of inspiration to push him back into action. But a shadow still remained. "But what if I finally do write something and it doesn't turn out well?" Lio paused. "What if no one even cares what I have to write anymore?"

Galo took a second to think. "Well there's no way of knowing it until then, is there? And besides, if your agent is pushing you to write so much, that must mean he cares about your stories. I'm sure other people do too." Galo ruffled Lio's hair, beaming his classic smile. "Of course, if it does bomb you can always work for me at my cafe." 

Lio found himself grinning, the warmth of Galo's hand sending a pleasant tingle through his head. "Working at a cafe with you doesn't sound half-bad. I'm definitely better at spelling people's names than you are." He chuckled.

"Watch your mouth or I'll dock your pay." Galo joked, giving Lio a playful shove.

"I'm going on strike." Lio laughed back, Galo bursting out laughing with him. Lio fell back on the sofa with a happy sigh. Somehow all the pressure that had been building up had finally started to release. 

"Junior, you'll be our mascot, you'll stay at the cafe and help draw in customers." Galo explained to Junior, happily purring in Galo's lap. Lio watched him as a wave of contentment swept over him, comforting him as he felt his eyes grow heavy. "You know I was thinking maybe my cafe should have more private booths, for customers like you who want to work while they're working, what do you thi-" Galo turned to see Lio fast asleep beside him, out like a light. Galo chuckled at how swiftly Lio had fallen asleep, clearly at the end of a long day. He quietly pulled the half-empty bottle from Lio's hand, getting up to clean up the last bit of mess from the room. Junior meowed at being displaced from Galo's lap, following him around with a firm demand to be held.

"Sssh, Junior, you're gonna wake him up." Galo whispered as Junior meowed again, this time giving up and darting to the bedroom. Galo placed the bottles in the sink, returning back to the living room where Lio was still out cold. Galo leaned down, gently wrapping his arms around Lio and lifting him from his spot. He was lighter than Galo had anticipated, a soft scent of soap wafting up to his senses. Lio nuzzled his head against Galo's chest, Galo smiling to himself as he followed Junior to the bedroom. Lio's room was neat and tidy, just like the rest of his house. Another bookshelf sat beside his bed, filled to the brim with clearly worn-out books. Galo wondered if these were Lio's personal favorites as he set Lio down on the bed, finding resistance as he stood back up, Lio's hand firmly grasped on his shirt. Galo knelt down beside the bed, slowly prying Lio's hand off him. Lio groaned in displeasure.

"Galo..." Lio mumbled in his sleep. Galo felt his heart begin to pound at Lio's soft but husky murmur. He brushed aside Lio's hair, taking a good look at Lio's sleeping face. He always had such a fierce and powerful expression, but now his face seemed so beautifully at peace. Had Lio always been this pretty? Galo felt himself begin to inch towards Lio's face, closer and closer til he was centimeters away.

Lio groaned again. Galo stood up sharply, shocked at what he was about to do. His heart was pounding in his ears as he dashed out of the room, turned out the light and fell on the couch, burying his face on the pillow Lio had left for him. What was he trying to do? And why? Was he drunk? He didn't feel drunk. Galo let out a soft yell into the pillow, Lio's face reappearing in his mind, a fluttering sensation spreading through his chest. Galo closed his eyes, hoping he would hurry up and fall asleep, but Lio kept drifting through his mind, and the butterflies in his stomach would not go away.

Galo stared out across the near-empty cafe, recently cleared from the early afternoon rush. He didn't get a wink of sleep last night, unable to rest thinking about Lio and this new mysterious feeling that had sprung up. He had snuck out of Lio's apartment before Lio woke up, feeling too guilty and anxious to stay and face Lio directly. He yawned as Aina walked back from the break room, two fresh cups of coffee in hand. 

"You okay? You seem tired." She asked, handing Galo one of the cups. 

"Yeah... I didn't get a lot of sleep last night." Galo sighed, taking a sip of the coffee.

"Late night at Lio's place?" Aina smiled. "I'm surprised how quickly you two became such good friends."

"Yeah..." Galo mumbled. "Hey... Aina?" 

"Yes?" Aina answered brightly.

"What does it mean when you think a guy is pretty?" Galo asked.

"Um, well there are lots of people that are pretty, so I guess that's pretty normal to think about." Aina answered vaguely, before drinking her coffee.

"What if you want to kiss them though?" Galo asked.

Aina choked mid-drink, coughing hysterically as she caught her breath. "You want to kiss someone just because they're pretty?" 

"No!" Galo instantly retorted. "No, it's just, I've known them for a while and I just realized how pretty they are and now I want to kiss them and I don't know why."

Aina stared at Galo for a moment. "So... do you like this person?"

"Yes, we have fun when we hang out together. I like talking to him." Galo answered.

"No, I mean do you like him _romantically_."

"I don't know. Maybe? But we're friends. I don't want him to be creeped out." Galo whined, leaning against the counter.

"I don't think Lio would be creeped out because you like him." Aina replied casually.

"I know, but still-" Galo stopped. "I never said it was Lio!"

Aina laughed. "You didn't have to. A pretty guy that you've been hanging out with and you're having new feelings for? Who else could it be besides Lio?" 

Galo pouted at her. "Fine, it's Lio. But I feel like I only just got him to not hate me, and I don't want to lose what we have right now." 

Aina sighed. "Galo, you have to have faith that Lio won't throw your friendship away because of something like that. And besides," she paused, "I think Lio feels the same way about you." 

Galo jolted upright. "You do!?"

"He's kind of obvious about it, he always comes here on your shifts, he watches you a lot, and even when you two were always fighting, he kept coming here. Most people would just go to another cafe." Aina explained. "I'm pretty sure you're the only one who _didn't_ know."

Galo's heart soared up into his throat at the notion. "But... even if he does like me, which he might not, what should I do? Should I tell him? Wait for him to tell me? Ask him out?" He rambled, setting his head on the counter at the overwhelming choices.

"Well, that's hard to say..." Aina mumbled. 

"Galo." A thunderous voice rang out from the kitchen. Galo and Aina jumped at the suddenness of it.

"Boss!" They both chanted fearfully, expecting to be scolded for standing around. Ignis walked out of the kitchen and over to Galo, putting a firm hand on his shoulder. 

"Galo, do you like this boy?" He asked bluntly.

"Yes!" Galo instinctively replied.

"Do you want to be with him?" 

"Yes!" Galo nodded fervently.

"Then tell him." Ignis concluded. "Trust your heart and let him know how you feel."

"Boss..." Galo mumbled. "What if it doesn't go well?"

"Then you work hard and try again. But nothing is going to happen if you don't take the first step." 

Galo paused, thinking of Lio's face, his expressions, his laugh, all the things he had grown to love in the past few weeks. "Then I'll do it." He nodded, his voice resolute. 

"Good lad." Ignis praised, taking a step back. "Now, if you two don't get back to work this instant I'm going to make you stay late and polish silverware for the rest of the night."

"Yes sir!" They both chimed, darting back to their work positions. Galo felt all the butterflies in his chest converge, transforming into a powerful resolve. He had made up his mind. The next time he saw Lio, he was going to confess.


	5. Americano

Lio shifted awake in his bed, the late morning sun shining in his eyes. He groaned in gentle frustration, turning over, pulling the blanket up past his head. Just five more minutes would be fine. Lio began to relax, the heavy wave of sleep sinking back in...

Just as Junior promptly leapt on his head, pawing at his hair, meowing with determined intensity. Like it or not, sleep time was over. Lio sat up, glancing around his room, wondering how he got there. He didn't remember going to bed last night, and judging from the lack of a headache, he hadn't been drunk enough to black out. Searching for an explanation, he spotted a small note on his night stand, the messy handwriting warmly familiar.

_"I had to leave for work and didn't want to wake you. Thanks again for letting me stay over. -Galo."_

Lio smiled at the sloppy message, feeling slightly regretful he couldn't see Galo off. Maybe he should pay him a visit at the cafe? Would that be too obvious? Lio fell back onto his bed, Galo's serious and determined expression from the night before flashing back into his mind. He never expected Galo to have such a wonderful, hopeful dream. Lio pictured Galo in front of a brand-new cafe, beaming a smile that would put the sun to shame. Lio felt his chest grow tight, imagining Galo making him one of his delicious cups of coffee, sharing a drink together, his lips blowing carefully over the fresh brew, Galo's big blue eyes staring back at him with affectionate desire...

Junior meowed loudly again, climbing onto Lio's chest, determined to get his attention. Lio sat up, Junior leaping from his lap and marching to the kitchen. Lio's stomach growled. Clearly both of them were in need of breakfast. Lio stumbled into the kitchen, wondering what to make, a covered plate with a BLT sandwich already waiting for him, with another note sitting on the top. 

_"Sorry for going through your fridge, but I wanted to make sure you had breakfast. -Galo"_

Lio felt the blood rush to his face in euphoric astonishment. Making breakfast for him was just too much. Lio quickly poured Junior his cat food before slowly unwrapping the plate. The scent wafted up, the sandwich still luke-warm. Lio eagerly bit into it, the bacon perfectly crispy, making a satisfying crunch as he ate it. Lio devoured the rest of the sandwich, wondering if BLTs had always tasted this good, enjoyed every last bite. A warm sense of contentment filled his chest, placing the empty plate in the sink, noticing the dishes from the night before had already been washed and placed on the drying rack. How early did Galo get up to do all this?

Lio wandered back into the living room, the blankets on the couch still in disarray. He picked one up, still faintly warm from where Galo had been, as Lio instinctively pulled it close to his face, breathing in what remained of Galo's scent. A husky smell, with a hint of sweetness. Strong, without being overpowering. Lio held the blanket tighly to him as he slumped onto the sofa, breathing it in again. It reminded him of the coffee Galo made for him, of Galo's bright straight-forward attitude, and the thought of it made Lio's heart begin to race.

He smiled to himself, wondering how he had gone from barely being able to stand him to being completely head over heels. Galo's puppy dog face, his smile, reappeared in Lio's mind. The way Galo pours all of himself into everything he does, his unyielding desire to help however he can, his passionate yet simple determination to move forward, hadn't just grown on Lio, they had become a shining star, a firey light bringing in hope and comfort. Lio took another deep breath of the scent. The idea of a burning fire lingered in his head, reaching deep down inside him, spreading like wildfire...

He felt an old, familiar pang in his chest. Yes, fire. Destructive and life-sustaining. Two sides of a coin. Opposite ends attracting. Enemies with a similar goal. Lio's mind raced over ideas, he ran to his laptop, furiously opening a word document. A futuristic world where people's emotions created a fire, a firefighter who's firey passion was intent on stopping the blaze. A gang leader fighting for the rights of the oppressed. His hands sped over the keys, the story developing faster than he could type. A new world was opening to him, and Lio fell into it with lightning speed.

The story shifted and transformed, including government conspiracy, murder, betrayal. Lio continued to write and rewrite, the part of him that longed to write, that had been gone for so long, had returned with a spectacular urgency. Time had lost meaning, there was no sense of need for anything but his computer, the story demanding to be written. He was completely engrossed, fearing that even the smallest break might lose this spark he had been so desperately hoping for. He lived on snacks by his desk, resting only when he no longer had the strength to write another word. Hours turned into days, everything a blur behind the intensity of his work.

Lio could feel Galo being channeled into the character of the firefighter, determined to protect lives no matter the cost, a simple but passionate man with a heart of gold. And Lio found himself placed as the role of the gang leader, clinging onto hope, determined to let his fire burn. The clash between them, the strong resolves they shared, flowed naturally onto the page. They grew closer, becoming friends, allies, uniting to take down an oncoming apocalypse. Lio's heart raced as he viewed them fighting side by side, protecting one another, their strength combined to create an unstoppable force.

Hours turned into days, days turned into weeks. Until finally, Lio had reached the end, the characters successful in defending the world, joining together to build the world anew. Lio paused as he entered the last period of the final line. The once boisterous sound of the story had finally faded away, content with it's completion on the pages in front of him. Lio clicked Save one last time, his eyes finally falling to the date in the corner. He had been writing for three weeks straight. The knowledge came with a wave of faitgue, all of his energy drained out from his writing marathon. Lio slowly opened up his email, attaching the document, sending it off to Meis, with only the message _"Here you go."_

Satisfied, Lio pried himself from his chair, stumbling to his bed, collapsing on it. His work had been his world for close to a month, reality slowly creeping back up on him. He needed to check his phone. He should probably call Meis. But as he felt his eyes grow heavy, Lio wished he could go to the cafe and see Galo, even just for a little while.

Lio awoke curled up in a ball on his bed, feeling stiff and cold. He wondered how long he had been asleep, suddenly realizing his hair was matted and his body sticky and gross from not bathing in weeks. Fighting off the urge to keep sleeping, Lio made his way into the bathroom to shower. His body ached, but the warm water was comforting, waking him up and relaxing his muscles. He took his time, thoroughly cleaning himself until he had completely washed off all the built up grime on him. He felt a deep sense of contentment with himself, the void inside him that had plagued him for so long finally receding.

Lio dried off, changing into a fresh set of clothes before finally checking his phone. 17 missed calls, 43 unopened messages, 8 new email notifications flooded his screen. Lio began playing through the voicemails.

_"Lio, it's Meis, I got your story, call me as soon as you get this."_

_"It's me again, Lio, we need to talk about your story ASAP. Call me back."_

_"I showed it to the editors, they like what you've got but we need to talk to you."_

Lio scanned through his emails and texts, almost all of them from Meis demanding to call him. Lio tapped the call button, bracing himself for impact. The phone had barely gotten through the first ring before Meis answered.

_"What the hell Lio? I've been trying to get a hold of you for two days." _Meis demanded instantly.

"Sorry, I fell asleep after I sent the email, I just woke up."

_"You slept for two days? Are you ok?"_ Meis asked worriedly.

"Yeah I'm fine, I just wrote it all in one go, so it took a lot out of me."

_"One go... Jesus, Lio. I know I told you to write but I'd figured you'd pace yourself a little."_

"I just needed to get it all down. So, what did you think?" Lio asked, nervousness creeping up his throat.

_"I think..."_ Meis paused. _"I think you've started something great here. It's going to need to go through a lot of editing, maybe even a redraft, but the plot is solid and the characters are good."_

The sudden rush of relief pulled the energy from Lio's legs, as he slumped to the floor. "Yeah, that's great." He stammered.

_"Hey, Lio? I know I'm the one who kept pushing you to write but... What brought this on? A month ago you were telling me you couldn't write, now you send me a whole novel?"_

Lio paused, leaning back against the wall. "I just... found someone I want to write about, I guess."

_"Uh-huh, and um, does this person happen to work at a cafe?"_ Meis asked teasingly.

"What makes you say that?" Lio demanded nervously.

_"C'mon, how long do you think we've been working together? I could tell from the first chapter who you based the firefighter on."_

"I think I need to get a new agent." Lio groaned.

_"Don't say that, it was a compliment."_ Meis laughed. _"And... does this guy know you feel like this?"_

"What the hell does that have to do with the book?"

_"Not a damn thing. But as much as I'm here to help your writing, I also just want you to be happy. Believe it or not, but I do consider you a friend."_ Meis explained gently.

Lio kept quiet for a moment. "...No he doesn't know about it."

_"Then maybe it's time you told him."_ Meis suggested. 

"What do I even say to him?" Lio asked.

_"Lio you just wrote an entire book about it. I'm sure you'll think of something. Just trust your gut and go for it."_ Meis chuckled. "_And if it doesn't work then you can use that experience to write the sequel."_

"You're an ass sometimes." Lio laughed.

_"Only when you need me to be."_ Meis countered._ "I'm going to go ahead and get suggestions from the editor about possible changes, I'll go over them with you next week."_

"Alright." Lio agreed. "Hey... Meis? Thanks. For not giving up on me."

_"You're thanking me? World must be ending."_ Meis laughed.

"Fuck you, dude." Lio smiled.

_"I always knew you had it in you. I never stopped believing it for a second."_ Meis admitted. _"And, as usual, I was right."_

"Broken clock is right twice a day." Lio teased. "But seriously. Thanks."

_"No worries. I'm going to get back to work, I'll call you next week."_

"Will do. Talk to you then." Lio hung up the phone, taking a deep sigh of relief. Things were falling into place. Finally moving forward. Junior marched over, hopping in Lio's lap, meowing for attention. Lio smiled at him, giving him a nice head scratch."Well, I guess there's only one thing left for me to do then." He mumbled to the cat. Junior meowed in response.

Lio grinned, putting Junior back on the floor before rushing into his closet to change into a new outfit. He hurriedly put on his shoes, heading to the door before turning back to Junior one last time. "I won't be long, watch after the house for me." He grinned, darting out the door. In all of the entire world, there was only one thing Lio wanted to see right now, and he was a few blocks down the street, making coffee in a little hole-in-the-wall cafe.


	6. Café au lait

Galo sighed loudly, his head firmly planted against the cafe counter. Lucia continued to play with her phone, giving Galo a small glance.

"That's unsanitary." Lucia announced.

"Leave me alone, I'm sulking." Galo moaned.

"What's got you down, Lover Boy?" She asked bluntly. 

"I haven't seen Lio in a month." Galo whined. "He hasn't come to the cafe, and he won't answer my texts."

"Sounds like someone got dumped." Lucia teased.

Galo groaned loudly, sinking behind the counter. "I wonder if he found out I tried to kiss him... I didn't even get a chance to confess..."

Lucia gave him a half-hearted pat on the back. "There, there." She reassured. "I'm sure it was just your pizza breath." 

Galo shot her a nasty glare. "Aren't you supposed to be comforting me?"

"Why would I do that?" Lucia asked.

"Because I just got my heart broken?" Galo answered quickly.

"You didn't even confess." Lucia sighed. "For all you know, he could have just been busy for the last month. Have you tried going to see him?"

"...No." Galo whimpered.

"Then you haven't been rejected. What happened to Big-Macho-Man Galo who said he was going to sweep him off his feet?" Lucia asked.

"I don't know." Galo pouted. "I just don't want him to hate me."

"I agree with Lucia." Aina chimed in, stepping out from the break room. "You won't know until you go and see him." 

Galo sighed, standing back up. "I guess there's just one thing left for me to do." 

"Exactly. Oh, and make sure you tell us how it goes. I've got 10 bucks that you get rejected." Lucia grinned.

"You weren't planning on comforting me at all, were you!?" Galo snapped back.

"You're good to go for the day, Galo." Aina intervened. "Though Ignis said he wants to see you in his office before you go."

"Thanks, Aina." Galo walked back to the break room, changing out of his uniform and into his regular clothes. No more excuses, he told himself. He was going to see Lio today, no matter what. Galo poked his head into Ignis' office. "You wanted to see me, Boss?"

Ignis looked up from his computer. "Yeah, come have a seat." Galo strolled in, dropping down on the chair opposite the desk. "There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

"If this is about me breaking the espresso machine, I totally fixed it." Galo interjected.

"No this is about... Wait, what did you do to the espresso machine?" Ignis demanded.

"...Nothing." Galo chuckled nervously. "So why did you want to see me?"

Ignis sighed, reaching for a photo on his desk. Galo recognized it instantly, it was the picture from his first day on the job, standing nervously at attention, his face covered in band-aids and bruises from fights. "Galo, it's been about seven years since you started working here. You were such a rowdy kid when I found you, always looking for trouble." Ignis smiled at the picture. "I remember when you first started and tried putting coffee beans directly into hot water."

"How was I supposed to know you had to grind them first?" Galo refuted.

"Sometimes I can't believe how long it's been..." Ignis sighed. "You worked hard all these years, now you're the best barista we've got. The customers love you, there's not a single drink you can't make, and you've got a good head on your shoulders."

"Boss..." Galo mumbled.

"I've grown to think of you like a son, and... I think it's time I start training you to run the cafe." Ignis declared. "I know you've always wanted to run your own cafe, but I can't run Promare forever. I'd like to hand it down to you, eventually."

Galo felt his chest fill up with excitement. "Are... are you sure?"

"It'll be a lot of hard work. You've still got a lot to learn and it's a lot of responsibility. But I think you've got what it takes. What do you say?" 

Galo paused, in shock at what he was hearing. "Boss..." He murmured. "You've always done so much for me. You took me in, gave me a job, a place to belong... I want to make you proud. I'm ready to learn all you have to teach me, no matter how long it takes." His voice shook, Galo feeling tears well up in his eyes. "If you want me to run the cafe when you're gone, then I'd be honored to."

"Good lad." Ignis chuckled softly, reaching across to ruffle Galo's hair. "No go get some rest. Tomorrow you start boot-camp."

"Yes, sir!" Galo answered brightly, jolting up out of the chair. "I won't let you down!" 

Galo rushed out of the room, half-bounding with joy. His once-distant dream was finally coming into view. His heart raced in his chest. He needed to see Lio as soon as possible. If there was ever a sign that now was the right time, surely this was it. 

"See you guys later! I'm off to see Lio!" Galo announced, giving Lucia and Aina one final wave.

"Good luck!" Aina cheered.

"Pack tissues!" Lucia laughed.

Galo ignored her, striding to the door and opening it with a gleeful shove, unknowingly knocking down the person on the other side of the door. Springing back into reality, Galo hurriedly glanced past the door to see who he hit.

Lio rubbed his back, having fallen backwards onto the pavement. The blood drained from Galo's face as all his gusto evaporated. "Oh crap, I am so sorry..." Galo apologized quickly, helping Lio back up on his feet.

"No worries." Lio brushed off some of the dirt on his clothes. "I didn't think you'd be that excited to see me." He laughed.

Galo's chest tightened up with the sweet sound of Lio's laughter. "Yeah..." he mumbled quietly, turning to see Aina and Lucia gesturing and mouthing for him to ask him out through the window behind Lio. "Uh, did you, um... come here to get some coffee?" He stammered, struggling to find words to say.

"I came here to talk to you, actually." Lio explained, averting his gaze. "Is now a good time?"

Galo looked through the window, seeing Aina and Lucia nodding aggressively, giving him a thumbs-up. "Yeah... can we talk somewhere else though?" 

"Sure, I don't mind." Lio answered. "But where did you want to go?"

"I'll tell you when we get there. It's just a few blocks down the road." Galo took a few steps, motioning for Lio to come follow. Lio walked beside him as they continued down the road, Galo wondering if Lio could hear his heart pounding. He glanced down at Lio, admiring his handsome and sharp features. But something seemed different, as Galo continued to stare at him. "Have you lost weight?" He wondered out loud.

Lio turned, looking slightly surprised. "I'm not sure. Do I look like I did? I haven't been eating much lately." He explained, pulling at his clothes to check.

"Sorry, it just kind of slipped out... Wait, why haven't you been eating?" Galo demanded.

"I was just... caught up with something." Lio replied, avoiding Galo's eyes.

"Is that why you haven't been to the cafe?" Galo asked quietly.

"...Yeah. But I've got it taken care of now." Lio assured. 

"Is it what you wanted to talk to me about?" Galo concluded.

"Kind of." Lio's voice trailed off. "I was able to write again."

"Really? That's awesome!" Galo chimed. 

"Thanks." Lio blushed slightly.

"So what's it about?" Galo asked excitedly.

"It's... um... complicated." Lio stammered, looking away again.

"So you haven't been eating because you've been working on it?" Galo realized.

"Yeah, I got really engrossed in it and I just forgot about everything else." Lio laughed nervously, noticing Galo's worried expression. "I'm sorry if I worried you."

They kept walking in silence, concern eating away Galo's thoughts. All his worries about being rejected felt stupid and shallow now. He didn't realize that Lio was finally able to live his dream again, working so hard he was forgetting to eat, all while he had been pouting like a child. Galo felt doubt creeping it's way back in, telling him to turn back now, keep his feelings to himself, even though he had finally gotten to see Lio. Galo looked up, spotting the nearby park ahead. It was now or never. He grabbed Lio by the hand. 

"Come with me." He instructed, pulling Lio along as he ran into the park, quickly making a turn off the pavement, past the trees.

"Where are we going!?" Lio yelled, struggling to keep up.

"Just trust me!" Galo shouted, running along the small, beaten path. He led Lio past the forest, half-dragging him along as they ran. Lio felt himself running out of breath as they finally approached a clearing, opening out to a small, beautiful lake, hidden away by the trees. Galo panted heavily, doubling over, giving Lio a small smile. "Here we are, this is what I wanted to show you."

Lio struggled to catch his breath. "And where... is here, exactly?"

Galo stood back up. "It's my secret hideout from when I was a younger. You know how I told you I was a pretty wild kid? Whenever I needed to clear my head, I'd come here." Galo picked up a rock from the shoreline, skipping it across the pond.

Lio gazed out over the lake, shining in the sunset. "It's... beautiful." He admitted.

"Right? It's my special, secret spot. Far away from the everyone, where I could feel totally free." Galo explained, taking a deep breath of the clean air. "I wanted to share this place with you, Lio."

"Galo." Lio said suddenly.

"Oh, over there's where I used to fish when I was a kid, once I caught a trout and I swear it was _thiisss_ big." Galo rambled, gesturing with his hands.

"Galo." Lio insisted, taking a step towards him.

"I came here a lot in the summer to swim, I'd stay here until the stars came out and I would-" 

"Galo." Lio muttered, using the front of Galo's shirt to pull him in for a kiss. Galo tensed up at the suddenness of it, the warm, soft sensation of Lio's lips spreading over him like wildfire. He felt as though he'd been electrified, as Lio pressed closer to him before letting him go, Galo's mouth still hanging open in speechless wonder. "I love you, Galo." Lio announced softly, his fierce eyes piercing into Galo's. "I was able to write again because of you, but this is more than that. You're always so upbeat and head-strong, you see the best in the world, and the best in me. You're a total idiot sometimes but I can't get you out of my mind. That's what I wanted to talk to you about." 

Galo stared back at him, still trying to process it all, his eyes gazing back down to Lio's lips. Lio's gentle, powerful lips that had just been on his. He could still feel the shock waves from the kiss, yearning to do it again, as the reality of the situation hit him. Galo let out a frustrated groan. "I was supposed to be the one to confess! I had been planning this whole month to work up the nerve to tell you and I thought I didn't have a chance so I've been so worried about it and now when I finally get ready to tell you, you beat me to it!" He whined.

Lio blinked at him a few times before letting out a laugh. "Sorry, I didn't know you were going to confess too." Lio ran his hand across Galo's cheek. "So I guess that means the feeling is mutual?" He whispered, teasingly.

Galo pouted at him, nuzzling his hand. "Yeah, it is. I love you too, Lio." He confessed. "You're always so cool and tough, but once I got to know you, you turned out to be really nice and fun." Galo's gaze shifted back to Lio's lips. "And.... you're good at kissing." He mumbled quietly.

"I didn't quite hear that last bit." Lio teased, drawing closer to Galo.

"Yeah, you did." Galo retorted, closing the gap between them. Lio's hand slid from Galo's cheek to behind his neck, Galo wrapping his arms around Lio. Galo was caught off guard by the first kiss, but now he felt like he was melting into Lio, all his doubts and concerns suddenly light-years away. Lio bit Galo's lip lightly, Galo letting out a small gasp as they broke for air, still holding each other tightly. "You're not fair." Galo whispered.

"I never said I was." Lio chuckled, loosening his grip on Galo. Galo felt like he was floating, staring at Lio's face. How could someone so pretty be so aggressive? 

Galo took Lio's hand in his. "I still love you though." 

Lio smiled up at him, entwining their fingers together. "I love you, too." Lio led Galo back to the path. "I'll walk you home."

"Thanks." Galo mumbled, grateful for each second he could spend with Lio.

"And I'll walk you to the bedroom, if you want." Lio teased.

"You're terrible." Galo laughed, feeling himself about to cry from relief and joy. Two dreams coming true in one day? Galo grinned to himself, praying for this perfect feeling of bliss to last forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story isn't over yet! I still have one little~ thing up my sleeve before we get to the happily ever after (which, I do promise, is coming). Next chapter is going to be kind of dark (tags will be updated accordingly), but I wanted to leave a nice stopping point for people who'd like to just leave them like this! But I do hope that some of you will continue to read until the end. As always, thank you all so much for the love and support!


	7. Macchiato

Galo sighed blissfully, leaning against his broom, watching the clock with a grin on his face. Only 20 more minutes left. He had been looking forward to his date with Lio all week, and it was finally close enough he could count the seconds. He could almost see the amazed look on Lio's face when Galo unveiled his surprise. 

"Galo are you going to sweep or just stand there?" Lucia scolded, barely looking up from her own phone. 

"He's too busy thinking about his date tonight." Aina teased.

"Sorry, I'll finish up." Galo quickly began sweeping again. He needed to focus. Date or no date, Ignis had trusted him to run the cafe while he was away. He couldn't let him down.

The door bell jingled, Galo perking up like a puppy. Lio casually walked in, his eyes searching for Galo, smiling softly as he spotted him.

"Hi Lio!" Aina greeted. "Are you here to pick up Galo?"

"More like, please pick him up, he's been daydreaming all day." Lucia added.

"Have not!" Galo refuted.

Lio laughed. "Good to know I wasn't the only one excited for our date today." Lio threw Galo a teasing glance, Galo's heart racing at the sight of it.

"Galo, you're good to go." Aina confirmed.

"Thanks!" Galo rushed to put the broom away, giving Lio a small kiss on the cheek. "Let me change real quick and we can go." 

Lio ruffled Galo's hair. "Take your time, we have the whole night ahead of us."

Galo grinned, enjoying the sensation of Lio's hand on his head. "You have three minutes before I tell Lio the story about the espresso machine." Lucia announced with an evil smile.

"What happened to the espresso machine?" Lio asked immediately. 

The blood drained from Galo's face. "I'll be right back!" He rushed back to the break room, throwing off his uniform as fast as he could. He raced to put his clothes on, hoping he would make it in the 3 minute time limit. He finally grabbed the small box from his locker, giving it a little smile before sliding it into his pocket. All set, Galo walked back into the cafe.

"Just in time." Lucia yielded. 

"That's too bad. I wanted to hear about what happened to the espresso machine." Lio chuckled. Galo threw his arm over Lio's shoulders, pulling him in close.

"I'll tell you next time." Lucia replied.

"You better not." Galo argued. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I will be taking my boyfriend on a romantic date."

"You boys have a nice time!" Aina cheered, waving them off as they left. 

Galo held Lio tight as they went out into the cool evening air. "So.... about the espresso machine..." Lio insisted.

"Don't you start that again." Galo groaned.

"I'm going to hear it eventually." Lio laughed, a strong, frigid breeze sweeping by. "Jesus it's cold lately." He complained, tightening his grip on his coat. 

"Yeah, fall's in full swing now." Galo agreed. His arm slid off Lio's shoulders, taking hold of his hand. "A year ago, I never thought we'd be like this." He admitted softly.

Lio squeezed Galo's hand gently. "Me either." He confessed. "Back then you would spell my name wrong on purpose." He chuckled.

"You knew I was doing it on purpose?" Galo asked, shocked.

"Of course I did. Who in their right mind would spell Lio L-E-I-O?" Lio laughed. 

"Well you always make this funny face when I did it." Galo scrunched up his face, mimicking Lio's frustrated expression. 

"When did I ever make that face?" Lio laughed, Galo joining in with him. 

"Oh, we're here." Galo announced, stopping in front of Promepolis Pizza.

"I should have known you'd pick a pizza place." Lio sighed.

"It's the best restaurant in town!" Galo insisted, opening the door for Lio. 

The quaint pizzeria was filled with a peaceful buzz of a few customers, and a heavenly aroma coming from the kitchen. Lio instantly recognized the logo on the box as the same from the pizzas Galo would bring over from time to time, but this was the first time he had ever been inside it. Galo beamed as he walked up to the counter.

"Hiya, Chief!" He greeted loudly to the older man peeking through the kitchen window. 

"Galo!" The man shouted back. "It's been a while. Who's this you've got with you?"

"This," Galo wrapped his arm around Lio, standing up proudly, "is my boyfriend, Lio." 

Lio tensed up as the man frantically clamored his way out of the kitchen to the counter, looking at Lio with excited bewilderment. "So this is the young man who stole the heart of our Galo." He murmured, taking Lio's hand. "We were so worried he'd be a spinster all his life..." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Galo argued, Lio chuckling at the chaos. 

"Go ahead and have a seat." Chief instructed, ignoring Galo. "I'll bring your food out shortly."

"We haven't ordered yet." Lio pointed out.

"No worries." Chief laughed. "Galo has ordered the same pizza for years."

"Hey, you don't mess with a good thing." Galo explained, leading Lio over to a nearby table. Chief brought over two glasses of water and a basket of garlic bread, giving Galo a sly smile before hurrying back into the kitchen. "He's always making such a big deal out of stuff." Galo sighed.

"I think it's nice." Lio admitted. 

"If you say so." Galo sighed again. "But anyway, how are you?"

"I'm good." Lio replied. "I just finished the final edits for the book's release, they'll be designing the cover art soon."

"That's awesome!" Galo cheered.

"Are you sure it's alright with Ignis that I name it Promare? I don't want him to think I was just ripping off the name of his cafe."

"Yeah, he thinks it's really cool." Galo explained. "Plus if it sells well we could get a lot more business." 

"Just save a spot for me, okay?" Lio laughed. "And what about you? How's the training going?" 

"It's a lot harder than I thought. Ignis has been teaching me how to keep track of inventory and orders, and there's so many numbers I thought my head was going to explode." Galo whined. 

"You didn't think it was going to be a walk in the park, did you?" Lio teased.

"No, but I'm figuring out how far I still have to go." Galo paused. "But Ignis is trusting me with Promare, and I'm going to do my best to make him proud."

"That's my Galo." Lio praised lovingly.

"Everything's been coming together." Galo slid his hand across the table, taking hold of Lio's. "Lio, I...."

"Hot pizza, coming through!" Chief shouted, quickly making room at the table for the hot dish. He set it on the center of the table, the pizza baked into the shape of a giant heart, the toppings organized to make smaller hearts over the pizza. "For the happy couple!" He announced boldly.

"Oh my God." Galo moaned, sliding back in his chair. "This is so embarrassing..."

"This is the best moment of my entire life." Lio laughed, pulling out his phone to snap pictures of the specialty pizza and a now tomato-red Galo.

"Young man," Chief began, putting his hand on Lio's shoulder. "Galo may not always be the brightest..."

"Hey now," Galo interjected.

"...Or the most handsome..."

"I'm right here." Galo protested. 

"...And sometimes he's just a pain in the ass..."

"Can you get to the point already?" Galo begged.

"But he's got a heart of gold and he'll work hard to treat you right. So we leave him in your capable hands, as long as you promise to love him as much as we do, and take good care of him." Galo shielded his embarrassed expression with one hand, feeling Lio take hold of the other.

"I promise I will." Lio vowed, squeezing Galo's hand gently.

"Very good." Chief cheered. "Now, you two love birds enjoy yourselves, your meal is on the house tonight."

"Thank you." Lio smiled, Chief walking back to the kitchen. "Well that was an experience." Lio laughed, entwining his fingers with Galo's. 

"He's always sticking his nose into other people's business." Galo mumbled. 

"I thought it was sweet." Lio defended. "You've got a lot of good people around you, who love you enough to do stuff like this. You're like a light that draws everyone to them."

Galo peeked through his fingers, locking eyes with Lio, enjoying the warmth of his hand. "You know, you're like a light too, to me, at least." Galo mumbled, sliding his hand into his pocket. "And for the last six months we've been dating, I keep finding more and more things I love about you." He gripped the box in his pocket. "You're always pushing me to be better, and I have so much fun when I'm with you, and I wanted to get you something to make up for all the good things you've brought into my life." Galo pulled the box out and set it on the table, sliding it towards Lio. Lio slowly opened the box, revealing a set of dog tags, one engraved with his name, the other with Galo's. "I know it's not much, but..."

"I love it." Lio replied instantly, putting them on. "I'll never take them off."

Galo admired how well the metallic silver looked on Lio. "I love you." He said softly.

"I love you too." Lio answered, reaching into his own pocket. "I got something for you too, actually." Lio set a small box on the table next to Galo's. Galo opened it, a shiny, freshly made key inside. "Galo, do you want to move in together? You'd still be close to work, and we'd get to spend more time together, and you know how much Junior loves you..."

Galo's eyes welled up with tears. "Why do you always have to one-up me? I worked so hard trying to find the perfect gift so you thought I was cool." 

"I do think you're cool. I didn't know you even remembered our six-month anniversary today." Lio chuckled gently, grasping Galo's hand.

"Of course I remembered. You just wait til our one year anniversary, I'm going to blow your mind." Galo swore, sniffling.

"I'll brace myself for it." Lio yielded. "So... is that a yes on moving in together?"

Galo paused, finally breaking down into tears. "...Yes. Let's move in together."

"Galo, are you crying?" Chief yelled from the kitchen. "Didn't I just tell him to take care of you?" Lio and Galo locked eyes and smiled, bursting out into laughter, still holding each other's hand tightly. 

Galo quickly topped off another hot chocolate with whipped cream, smoothly popping on the lid before placing it on the To-Go counter. "Order for Remi!" 

"Thank you so much, your order will be out shortly." Aina instructed to the customer at her register. "Galo, a Cafe Mocha please, extra milk."

"On it." Galo set up the machine to mix the drink, taking a quick glance around the cafe. A pretty steady afternoon rush. Another normal day in the cafe.

"Galo, how's the move coming along?" Aina asked, finally clear of the last customer.

"So far so good, all my stuff is packed up, the landlord's going to look over the apartment and give me the security deposit back." Galo explained, finishing up the order.

"Just think a year ago you couldn't stand him, now you're moving in together." Aina sighed wistfully. "Must be nice to be in love like that." 

Galo beamed proudly, setting the completed drink on the counter. "Order for Vinny!" He proclaimed, peeking around to do a quick supply check. "We're getting low on cups, I'm going to grab some from the back."

"Alright." Aina shifted to straighten out some of the pastries that had gotten jumbled in the fray. 

Galo entered the kitchen, a faint smell of burning plastic filling the air. Galo tensed up, the unfamiliar scent worrying him. "Aina, did you leave the oven on again?" Galo checked.

"No, I made sure to turn it off when I left the kitchen." Aina answered. Galo walked over to the oven to double-check. It was definitely off. But the burning smell was growing stronger the further he went into the kitchen. Something was wrong. The pit in Galo's stomach grew as he noticed a thin line of smoke trailing up from closed storage room door. Galo rushed to open it.

The rush of hot air slammed against him, the fresh oxygen sparking the once-small fire into a raging inferno. The released smoke tripped the smoke alarms, blaring through the cafe. Galo fought for air, coughing against the smoke. Aina ran in, shocked at the sight. "Aina, get everyone out!" Galo ordered, Aina nodding and rushing back out. Galo spotted the nearby fire extinguisher, diving through the smoke to grab it. The crackling of the flames, the screech of the alarms, and the screams of the people in the cafe rung in his ears as he fumbled over the safety pin. Countless random fire-safety facts flooded his brain as he finally pulled the pin free, the fire spreading out further into the kitchen. Clutching the trigger, Galo sprayed the flames indiscriminately, frantically trying to subdue the flames.

But the flames refused to back down, quickly rising upwards, igniting the ceiling. Galo struggled to breathe in the thick smoke, still clinging onto the fire extinguisher, trying in vain to keep the fire in check. Galo fell to his knees, coughing desperately, feeling trapped. The ceiling above him creaked ominously, cracking as the fire continued to weaken it. Galo covered his head, bracing himself for it to fall as the beams fell with a snap.

"Galo!" Ignis shouted, leaping on top of him, shielding him from the falling debris. Galo felt the weight of it all pressing down on him for a few seconds before it shifted aside. He looked up at Ignis, battered from the barrage and bleeding from his head. "Boy, you need to get out of here."

"Boss!" Galo cried, pulling Ignis free from the rubble. "Boss, hang on, I-I'll get us out of here." Galo stumbled to his feet, lifting Ignis onto his back, pushing his way through. The cafe had been completely engulfed in flames, Galo's heart stopping as he saw his workplace burning to the ground. Ignis groaned in pain, Galo focusing on getting them both to safety. He struggled to the doorway as the firemen ran in, assisting him outside and to the ambulance before running back into the cafe. The medics pulled Ignis onto the stretcher, loading him into the ambulance. Galo coughed, still fighting for air. The medics led Galo away to a secondary ambulance, hooking him up to an oxygen tank. Galo took one last look at Promare, the fire wildly ripping apart the once-peaceful cafe. Unable to stand the sight of it, Galo shut his eyes tightly as they loaded him in and left for the hospital. 

Lio rushed through the hospital hallways, into the emergency room. His eyes searched frantically for Galo, finally spotting him sitting on a bed further down the ward. He ran, ignoring the protests of the nurses, half-tackling Galo with his embrace. Lio held him tightly. He was alive, he was okay. Lio took a step back to look him over. Galo was covered in soot and ash, with a few cuts and bruises on his face and arms. Nothing too serious, but Galo's expression was empty and broken. "How did you know I was here?" He asked quietly.

"Aina called me. She told me what happened. I'm just so glad you're okay." Lio hugged Galo again, grateful for his safety. A doctor walked over, taking Galo's chart in his hands. 

"Mr. Thymos, is it?" He asked, Galo nodding. "We've completed the check-up, no severe external damage, but you did breathe in quite a bit of smoke during the fire, so we'll be keeping you here to night to monitor your condition."

"And what about Boss... I mean, the other man in the ambulance?" Galo asked. "Is he going to be okay?"

"I can't give you too much detail, he did have quite a few injuries, so he'll be in the hospital for the next few days at least. You'll have to get the rest of the information from him." The doctor explained coldly. "A nurse will be along shortly to take you to your room."

Galo looked down at the floor. "What happened to Ignis?" Lio asked gently.

"He... he saved me. I stayed inside to try and put out the fire and he went in after me." Galo explained, his voice shaking. "He got hurt because of me."

"Galo, don't talk like that." Lio affirmed. "You were just trying to protect the cafe."

"I couldn't put out the fire, and now Boss is hurt because of me." Galo began to cry. "Lio, he could have died because of me...."

Lio pulled Galo's face into his chest, stroking his hair. "Galo, it's okay. Ignis is going to be fine. You did your best. I'm just glad you're okay. I'll stay at the hospital with you tonight, and we can check on Ignis tomorrow, okay?" Lio comforted, as Galo's tears soaked through his shirt, burning against Lio's skin.


	8. Frappe

Galo watched Lio sleep, hunched over his hospital bed, still holding on to his hand. Galo struggled to process it all. Losing the cafe, Ignis getting hurt, being in the hospital himself... It all felt like some sick dream he could just wake up from. Galo squeezed Lio's hand, and prayed for a miracle, or even just the sweet release of sleep.

The next morning, Galo slowly put on the fresh clothes Lio had brought him, still feeling dazed. He had spent the entire night awake, the weight of everything making him lethargic. Fully dressed, Galo stepped out of the small hospital bathroom, giving Lio a small smile to try and prove he was okay.

"I got all the paperwork taken care of." Lio explained. "And Ignis is doing better today, we should pay him a visit before we head home." 

Galo nodded, feeling his stomach churn with shame. What kind of face should he make when he talked to him? What should he say? The whole reason Ignis was in the hospital was because of him. Guilt ate away at him as Lio led him down the hallway to the elevator.

"Lio, I don't know if I can do this." Galo confessed, clutching Lio's hand. "What if Boss doesn't want to see me?" The door dinged as they reached Ignis' floor.

"I'm sure he does. It'll be okay, and I'll be right here with you." Lio assured, leading him further down the hall. Galo braced himself as they approached Ignis' room. Lio paused, taking one last look at Galo. "Ready?"

Galo took a deep breath. "Ready." He confirmed, walking into the room. 

Ignis looked up from the newspaper he was reading, staring at Galo with wide eyes. Galo froze up, noticing the bandage on Ingis' head and the cast on his arm, guilt stabbing him in the chest. 

"Galo..." Ignis mumbled.

"Boss, I'm so sorry." Galo blurted out, his voice cracking. "It's my fault you got hurt and I'm willing to do anything to make it up to you."

"Galo." Ignis sighed. "Get over here, boy." Galo nervously made his way beside the hospital bed, ready to face his punishment. Ignis grabbed Galo's arm, pulling him in for an embrace. "Then don't ever scare me like that again."

"Y-you're not mad at me?" Galo stammered.

"I'm fucking pissed." Ignis growled. "I'm mad that you'd put yourself in such a dangerous situation instead of getting to safety." Galo tensed up. "But more than that, I'm just glad you're okay."

A wave of relief rushed over Galo as he hugged Ignis tight, tears streaming down his face. "Thank you for saving me." He whispered. Ignis ruffled Galo's hair, Galo standing back up, still sniffling from crying. He had Ignis' forgiveness, but there was still a sense of dread in his chest. "Promare... were they able to save it?" He asked quietly.

Ignis looked away. "...Not exactly. The foundation and structure is still standing, but the roof, everything inside... It's all gone. And I've already talked to the insurance company, and the settlement's not going to be enough to cover rebuilding." Ignis sighed. "I decided to use the settlement money to pay off the rest of the mortgage for the building and give you all three months severance pay. And then I'm going to sell what's left of the building."

"Can't we do something to raise the rest of the money? We can do fundraisers, or set up stands..." Galo offered, still clinging to hope.

"I'm sorry Galo, but it's just going to be too much for us to raise anytime soon." Ignis countered. "Promare had a good run, but I'm too old to rebuild it from the ground up." Galo tensed up, unable to say anything. "I'm sorry, Galo. I'm going to talk to Chief later about hiring you for now. And maybe one day, you can open up a cafe of your own." Ignis offered a kind smile, but Galo closed his eyes tight, struggling to cope. Lio placed a hand on his back.

"I think it's about time we head home for now," Lio intervened. "Ignis, let me know if there's anything you need, I'll bring it right over."

"Thanks, Lio." Ignis replied, Lio nodding and leading Galo out of the room.

Galo grabbed Lio's hand, squeezing it tightly for support. Lio walked slowly beside him, struggling to find the words to say. So he just held Galo's hand as they left the hospital, wishing there was some way to take Galo's pain away.

The next few days passed by in a blur. Galo decided to take two weeks to finish moving in before starting at Chief's pizzeria, grateful for the distraction. Yet even though he had been so excited to be moving in with Lio, everything felt empty and hollow. Sometimes he would just stop in place, staring blankly outwards, unable to move. He hadn't just lost his dream, losing the cafe felt like losing a part of himself. His place of sanctuary and warmth for so many years, no longer existed. And it had all burned up in less than a day. Lio kept an eye on him, quietly trying to be supportive, while feeling powerless himself. Galo would smile and laugh throughout the day, but Lio knew he was forcing it. At night, Galo would bury his face into Lio's chest as Lio stroked his head, occasionally feeling tears seep through his shirt. He wanted to believe there was someway to make things better, but for now it was a wound only time could heal.

Ignis was released from the hospital without incident, an ominous "For Sale" sign appearing at the remains of the cafe. It was the final nail in the coffin, the realization that Promare was never coming back made permanent. Galo had been avoiding the street, the mere sight of it enough to make him break down. But now he began to keep himself in the apartment, struggling to face the reality outside. All that was left was for someone to buy the lot, and Promare would truly be gone forever. Galo searched the rooms for any kind of distraction, coming across the manuscript for Lio's novel on the desk, "Promare" written in solid, capital letters.

"Hey, Lio?" Galo called.

"Yeah?" Lio answered from the kitchen.

"Is it alright if I read your novel? The one you named after the cafe?"

Lio peeked into the room, looking confused. "I don't mind, but are you going to be okay reading it?"

"Yeah." Galo nodded. "I think reading it will help me say goodbye."

"Alright, but don't push yourself too hard." Lio warned. "You don't have to rush it."

"I won't." Galo promised, flashing another forced smile. Lio, still unconvinced, left Galo alone to begin, as Galo settled into the bed to read. Lio's voice had always been a comfort to him, and he could almost hear it as he poured over the pages, his passionate energy radiating from the story. He had never been a big reader, but Lio's writing was warm and inviting, exciting and captivating. Galo could see himself as the fireman lead, gallantly chasing his dream and refusing to surrender. He saw fragments of his coworkers in the side characters, always encouraging him and supporting him. He could see Lio as the rebel leader, challenging Galo to look at things differently and find a better solution. Galo was engrossed in this world Lio had built, each bit of it shining with the familiarity of it's real-world counterpart, while still seeming vibrant and new. The hours flew by, and Galo couldn't put it down, determined to see how it ended. And, as the two leads vowed to rebuild the world together, Galo was struck with an idea. It was far-fetched, it was crazy, and it may not work, but it was the spark of hope he had been looking for. He ran to the door, pulling on his shoes in an excited panic.

"What's going on?" Lio demanded, watching Galo hastily put his jacket on.

"I know how I'm going to save the cafe." Galo announced.

"Wh-how?" Lio asked, Galo reaching the door.

"It'll take too long to explain right now, just trust me. I need to see Ignis right away." Lio grabbed his arm, holding him back. "Lio, I have to do this." Galo begged.

Lio took a deep breath. "Then I'm coming with you." He concluded.

Galo grinned at him, his first real smile since the incident. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Ignis sorted through the papers on his table. Bank statements, hospital bills, insurance forms all scattered around in a messy pile. He sighed, wondering how everything came to this. The image of Galo's distraught face lingered in his mind even now, tugging at his heart. But he had run the numbers a million different ways, there was no way Ignis could rebuild the cafe. He slumped down in the chair in defeat, a banging knock echoing through his house, incessant and loud. Ignis stormed to the door, ready to chase off whoever it was who had dared disturb him, swinging the door open aggressively.

But to his surprise, Galo stood there, heaving for air, a wild look of excitement on his face, Lio standing behind him. Galo grinned at him, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Boss, I know this is going to sound crazy, but please, hear me out."

"What the hell, Galo?" Ignis demanded.

"Boss," Galo took a deep breath, bracing himself. "Please sell the cafe lot to me." He announced sternly, looking Ignis directly in the eyes.

"Have you lost your mind?" Ignis replied. "What the hell are you going to do with it?"

"Please, I'll pay you whatever you want for it." Galo pleaded. "But I want to rebuild it. And if you can't, then I will."

"Galo, even if I sold it to you, do you even know how much it would cost to rebuild? Where are you going to get that kind of money?" Ignis insisted.

"I'll work for Chief, I'll take any extra job that comes my way and save up until I have enough." Galo explained.

Lio stepped in. "And I'll help." He proclaimed. "That cafe meant a lot to me too, it's where I met Galo, and how I was able to write again. I'm not going to give up either."

Galo swooped Lio up into a hug. "Lio, you're so cool!"

Lio pushed him back, still facing Ignis. "I believe that Galo can make it work somehow, so please, sell him the cafe."

Ignis paused, staring at the two of them in bewilderment, before bursting out laughing. Galo and Lio looked at each other nervously. "You know, I had always planned to give you the cafe at some point." He confessed. "You've always had a knack for surprising me." He sighed. "I'll make you a deal. I'll give you the cafe, but I don't want you to rebuild Promare."

"What? Why not?" Galo demanded.

"Because I don't want you to have to stick to a certain way of doing things. If you build a cafe there, I want it to be entirely your own. Something you built with your own hands deserves to be something of your own creation." Ignis explained. "If you can agree to those terms, then it's all yours."

Galo hesitated, thinking it over. "Boss," he answered. "I've always looked up to you, and I always thought what I wanted most in the world was to take over Promare and make you proud..." He paused, taking another deep breath. "But now I'm going to do my best to build a cafe that would put Promare to shame. Please, let me have the lot!" He declared boldly.

Ignis laughed, ruffling Galo's hair. "You've got a long way to go, boy. You better surprise me and make me proud."

Galo took Lio's hand, smiling ear-to-ear. "Yes, sir!"

_ **-Four Years Later-** _

"Galo, where did you put the table cloths?" Lio called from the back room.

"In the storage cabinet, by the extra silverware." Galo called back, admiring the completed cafe dining area. The bright colors of the decor glowed in the soft lighting, the fruit of all his work these past few years now finally ready. And tonight was the soft-opening to celebrate it's completion with all of their closest companions. Lio brought in the box of table cloths, dropping it down on the counter.

"That should do it." Lio announced.

"Thanks." Galo gave Lio a small kiss on the cheek, looking back over the cafe. "I can't believe we finally did it."

Lio sighed contently. "Yeah, it feels unreal." He paused, looking at Galo. "Now, I do have a question. I know I let you name the cafe, but why did you name it _that?_"

"What do you mean? It has both our names in it and it sounds sophisticated." Galo defended.

"It sounds like the name of a giant robot." Lio laughed.

"That's still pretty cool though. And soon it'll be the name of most popular cafe in the city. Quite possibly the country." Galo bragged.

"Pretty confident, aren't we?" Lio teased. "How much longer til everyone arrives?"

Galo checked his watch. "We still have a bit of time." He slid his hand into Lio's. "Just enough time for me to show you your surprise."

"Galo, this is supposed to be your big night, you didn't have to get me anything." Lio argued, allowing himself to be lead through the cafe.

"Come on, I've been planning this for a while, but you've been so busy with your book tour I haven't been able to show you yet." Galo ducked behind a shelf, opening a small door hidden in the shadows. He lead Lio inside the small room, decorated with bookshelves and art, a lone desk and chair sitting against the wall, covered in writing utensils and a charging station. A small sign reading "_Lio's Corner_" hung proudly above the desk. "I made sure they spelled your name right." Galo teased.

"What is this place?" Lio asked, bewildered.

"It's your private office, right here in the cafe. I always told you I wanted to make you your own special hideaway once I had my own place." Galo explained, leading Lio to the desk. "Do you like it?"

"I love it..." Lio mumbled, relaxing into the chair, his hand running over the top of the desk.

"I'm glad." Galo's voice softened. "You know, you've always been there for me, supporting me, inspiring me. I wouldn't have been able to get this far without you. And I want to always be there for you in the exact same way." Galo pulled a box from his pocket, dropping down to one knee. "Lio, I love you more than anyone else in the entire world. So, Lio Fotia, will you marry me?"

Lio blinked several times, before nodding fervently, pulling Galo in for a kiss. "Of course I'll marry you." He stammered through tears, as he held out his hand for Galo to place the ring on his finger."Looks like you've won this one." Lio laughed.

"I'm going to be honest," Galo admitted, "I was going to cry if you pulled out a ring too."

"Idiot, you're still crying now." Lio laughed, wiping off a loose tear sliding down Galo's cheek.

"Can you blame me? You just made me the happiest man in the universe." Galo beamed up at Lio, Lio leaning in for another kiss.

"We should probably go back now," Lio concluded, still grinning.

"Yeah, everyone will be here soon." Galo agreed, leading Lio out of the room.

Galo and Lio hurried to set up the table cloths, passing each other glances and laughter before coming back together for one more kiss. They held each other close, ready to face the whole world. The door jingled for the very first time.

They smiled at each other. "Welcome to Galo de Lion!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for sticking with this story (and me) til the very end! I hope I was able to bring a conclusion that everyone is satisfied with! I do have prequels/side stories drafted, so if that's something you'd be interested in seeing in the future, please let me know in the comments. Thank you all for reading!


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